National Interest and

Challenge to Sovereignty
Pakistan Affairs
National Interest
The national interest often referred to by the French expression raison d'État ("reason
of State"), is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural.
The concept is an important one in international relations where pursuit of the national
interest is the foundation of the realist school.

“The meaning of national interest is survival—the protection of physical,

political and cultural identity against encroachments by other nation-states”—
Morgenthau.

The ultimate national interest of Pakistan is survival like any other nation state. National
interests can be economic, political, military or cultural. National interests, as the word
is self-explanatory, are the interests which showcases a nation's needs in the prevailing
scenario.

(A) Necessary or Vital Components:

According to Morgenthau, the vital components of the national interests that a foreign
policy seeks to secure are survival or identity. He sub-divides identity into three parts:
Physical identity. Political identity and Cultural identity.

Physical identity includes territorial identity. Political identity means politico- economic
system and Cultural identity stands for historical values that are upheld by a nation as
part of its cultural heritage. These are called vital components because these are
essential for the survival of the nation and can be easily identified and examined. A
nation even decides to go to war for securing or protecting her vital interests.

A nation always formulates its foreign policy decisions with a view to secure and
strengthens its security. The attempts to secure international peace and security, that
nations are currently making, are being made because today the security of each state
stands inseparably linked up with international peace and security. Security is, thus, a
vital component of national interest. Each nation always tries to secure its vital interests
even by means of war.

(B) Non-vital or Variable Components of National Interest:

The non-vital components are those parts of national interest which are determined
either by circumstances or by the necessity of securing the vital components. These are
determined by a host of factors—the decision-makers, public opinion, party politics,
sectional or group interests and political and moral folkways.

“These variable interests are those desires of individual states which they would, no
doubt, like to see fulfilled but for which they will not go to war. Whereas the vital
interests may be taken as goals, the secondary interests may be termed as objectives
of foreign policy.”

These objectives have been listed by V.V. Dyke and his list includes: Prosperity, Peace,
Ideology, Justice, Prestige, and Power. Though each state defines these objectives in a
manner which suits its interests in changing circumstances, yet these objectives can be
described as common to almost all states. Thus, national interest which a nation seeks
to secure can be generally categorized into these two parts.

Classification of National Interests:

In order to be more precise in examining the interest which a nation seeks to secure,
Thomas W. Robinson presents a six fold classification of interests which nations try to
secure.

The Primary Interests:

These are those interests in respect of which no nation can compromise. It includes the
preservation of physical, political and cultural identity against possible
encroachments by other states. A state has to defend these at all costs.

Secondary Interests:
These are less important than the primary interests. Secondary Interests are quite vital
for the existence of the state. This includes the protection of the citizens abroad and
ensuring of diplomatic immunities for the diplomatic staff.

Permanent Interests:
These refer to the relatively constant long-term interests of the state. These are subject
to very slow changes. The US interest to preserve its spheres of influence and to
maintain freedom of navigation in all the oceans is the examples of such interests.

Variable Interests:
Such interests are those interests of a nation which are considered vital for national
good in a given set of circumstances. In this sense these can diverge from both primary
and permanent interests. The variable interests are largely determined by “the cross
currents of personalities, public opinion, partisan politics and political and moral
folkways.”

The General Interests:

General interests of a nation refer to those positive conditions which apply to a large
number of nations or in several specified fields such as economic, trade, diplomatic
relations etc. To maintain international peace is a general interest of all the nations.
Similar is the case of disarmament and arms control.
International Interests:
Besides these six categories of national interest, T.W. Robinson also refers to three
international interests—identical interests, complementary interests and conflicting
interests.

Methods for the Securing of National Interest:

1. Diplomacy as a Means of National Interests
2. Propaganda
3. Economic Means
4. Alliances and Treaties
5. Coercive Means

Introduction.
A state’s national interest as the name implies, comprises of all the interests of a nation as a
whole. Any country’s primary national interest is ‘survival’. In order to achieve survival, one
country has to aim for other goals such as national security, economic prosperity, seeking
alliances among other interests. Pakistan’s national interest has always been influenced by
external powers. Pakistan as a nation must aim at attaining self-reliance in pursuing its
national interests that must relate to the economic vision of the country and should be
achieved with pragmatism.

Meaning & Definition.

a. The national interest is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military,
or cultural. We can also say national interests are expression of the national purpose,
national aspirations and national objectives.
b. Often referred to by the French expression raison d'État ("reason of State")
c. In the words of Hans Morgenthau, “It is not only a political necessity, but also a
moral duty for a nation to always follow in its dealings with other nations but one
guiding star, one standard for thought, one rule for action: The National Interest.”
(Hans J. Morgenthau, In Defence of the National Interest: A Critical Examination of
American Foreign Policy, Knopf, 1951).
d. National Defense University (NDU), Islamabad, Pakistan. National interests are the
most important wants and needs of a nation. At the highest level of abstraction,
national interests are the “wellspring” from which national objectives, policy and
strategy flow. The overriding national interests are normally stated in terms of
national survival, national identity and wellbeing. Preservation of territorial integrity,
freedom, independence, socio-political institutions and honor are fundamental to the
survival of a nation (defined by NDU for academic purposes).
Pakistan’s National Interests
a. National Security for survival and Safety of the Nuclear Program
b. Economic Prosperity; the nation-state must possess, produce, procure and trade for
the means of survival at a predetermined level which reflects its means and
aspirations
c. Sovereignty of the state
i. the ability to resist coercion
ii. the ability to coerce other states
d. Seeking alliances that may break the isolation
e. Attaining the ability to achieve internal reform in order to avoid foreign pressure of
all sorts
f. Avoiding international isolation to prevent other states from getting together within
the United Nations to use international law to harm it

Evolution of National Interest of Pakistan

a. Pakistan's primary interest was to remain independent and viable in the face of a
much larger and powerful neighbor.
b. The nation then adopted several other goals;
i. the struggle of Kashmir to join Pakistan - or become independent from
India;
ii. a friendly and cooperative Afghanistan to ensure strategic depth vis-a-
vis India ;
iii. close relations with Saudi Arabia representing a religious socio-
economic nexus of interests;
iv. Affirming itself as a front-line state of the religiously tolerant west.

c. Whilst Pakistan's role as a front-line state was galvanized and pivotal during the
Russian invasion of Afghanistan, it became ambiguous in the new world order.
d. Pakistan immediately bolstered its relationship with China, that it had been
developing over many years after the Sino-Soviet split in the seventies as US
strengthened its ties with India.
e. The end of the cold war and the abandonment by the US and its allies of Afghanistan,
and Pakistan, forced the latter to initiate a plan of action
f. It combined its policy objectives of maintaining strategic depth in Afghanistan; in
accordance with its military doctrine of riposte vis-a-vis its arch enemy India, and
close ties with Saudi Arabia
 g. Thus enabling the Taliban to become pervasively established, and receiving Saudi
largesse to finance it all, resulting in the eventual dominance of the Taliban in
Afghanistan.
h. America had ignored and distanced itself from all Saudi-Pakistani action in
Afghanistan from 1991 until the late 90's until the emergence of wahabist-jihadists,
Al-Qaeda.
i. The test came when, after 9/11, Pakistan had to choose between its interests in
maintaining the Taliban in Afghanistan and that of the US, where the latter's objective
was to oust the government that had provided a safe haven to the alleged perpetrators
of 9/11.
j. Apparently, Pakistan had to forego its interest and bow to US demands, however, this
did not prove to be the case as the War on Terror developed.
k. After the war had begun, a paradigm shift took place, during the decade, several
attacks and assaults began targeting Pakistan and its armed forces along with Afghan
Taliban. Once NATO's ISAF and other US troops arrived Pakistan had to recalibrate
its policy in Afghanistan.

It follows that the country's prime interest, that of Security, is not "secure," that its other
interests such as a stable and friendly Afghanistan, self-determination of Kashmir, its
economic stability, are failing and under attack from exogenous forces."

What Pakistan needs to do?

a. Pakistan needs to reaffirm its commitment to maintaining a coherent geo-strategy
towards India; political nationalism is now getting superfluous and obsolete and
economic relations are taking on the driving seat.
b. It must redefine its commitment to Kashmir and redouble its efforts to find a political
solution to the plight of Kashmiri’s
c. It must re-examine its bond with Saudi Arabia and achieve an equitable mix
d. It must capitalise on, and foster the economic and military relationship with China,
Pakistan’s most venerable and valuable ally
e. American and Pakistani interests do not coalesce any longer; therefore, new
parameters should be drawn up by both nations that limit and phase out bilateral
security cooperation
f. Pakistan must seek out its own path; independently, whilst remaining faithful to its
raison d’être; selfishly, whilst maintaining unity amongst its peoples; and confidently,
whilst maintaining discipline in every field of its endeavor.
Conclusion
In summary, external forces are dictating and organizing Pakistan’s national interests.
Internally there is incoherence in defining the national interest as the various political and
economic elites identify and explain it in terms of alignment with the US, which is seen as
indispensable for progress. Several others, in the country feel that this is a pernicious attempt
to change the norms and values of the country and, therefore, are partial to realignment,
extracting Pakistan from the American sphere of influence. Hence the national interest of
Pakistan lies in being a liberal and progressive Islamic state.